Women and Money Conference set for this week

CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- The event is still called the "Women and Money" Conference, but that name is increasingly outdated.

"We call it a Women & Money Conference. But we have a lot of men who participate. We encourage them to participate now," State Treasurer John Perdue, whose office is hosting the event, said. "It used to be all women, but now it is about 25 percent men."

The conference is scheduled for the South Charleston Holiday Inn Hotel & Suites on Friday, April 26.

"You will learn about everything from investing your portfolio to help your senior years to investing in education for your grandchildren," Perdue said.

"The conference will teach people about the different kinds of investments they need to make and about how not to be ripped off by scams, especially investment-type scams. You would be surprised how many people are out there trying to steal your money.

The free event will begin with a check-in and breakfast snacks at 8:30 a.m. Dee Lee, a Boston-based financial educator who speaks across the country, will begin her presentation in South Charleston at 9 a.m. Lee will wrap up her presentation at about noon, followed by lunch. An afternoon question-and-answer section will end at about 3 p.m.

People who attend Friday's conference will receive a free tote bag and a free copy of Lee's book, "Women and Money: Your Personal Finance Guide."

"We already have 150 people registered, but would like to have over 200," Perdue said. "This has been a great program over the years that has touched over 10,000 women in West Virginia.

"Traveling around the state, people talk to me about how Dee Lee made a difference in their lives."

Perdue also encourages students getting ready to go to college to attend Thursday's conference.

"Don't fall into pitfalls when you get to college," Perdue advises. "Don't get into credit card debt. If you come out of college with loan debts and credit card debts, you may have to go into bankruptcy."

To register for Friday's conference, people may go to www.wvtreasury.com or call 304-341-0714.

Thursday will be the fifth time Charleston has hosted the "Women & Money" event since 2002.

Lee speaks on television and radio stations across the country and is a regular contributor to "Power Lunch" on CNBC-TV. She also offers financial advice every afternoon on WBZ, an AM radio station in Boston.

The "Women & Money" Conference is part of Money Smart Week -- a nationwide program from April 20 to 27 to help consumers manage their finances.